TWO Gateshead College students are bidding au revoir to the North- East as they head off to coach football in the South of France this summer.

Tony Coe and Alan Oliver,from Washington,are traveling to La Carabasse holiday camp in the South of France where they will spend two months running football coaching sessions for five to 16-year-olds.

The students,aged 19,attend Gateshead College fs Academy for Sport,based at Gateshead International Stadium.They are among the first students to complete a new sport coaching course,which they progressed onto after completing the National Diploma in Sport Performance and Excellence at the college last year.

Alan said:gI can ft wait to go,it should be a really good experience and it will also look great on our CV fs.

We fve really enjoyed our time at college and when this course started it was ideal for us because we knew we wanted to specialise in coaching.h The NVQ Level 2 in Sports Coaching and Activity Leadership was introduced at Gateshead College in September last year and is proving a huge success.

Course lecturer,Steve Common, said:gI fm really pleased with what all the students on the course have achieved,especially since they are the first to study this qualification.

gWe know there is a demand in the industry for Level 2 qualified coaches, and hopefully with this course we can help fill some of those gaps,and get the students into the kind of jobs they want.Those that have been lucky enough to get placements coaching abroad will definitely benefit from the experience and should also have a great time.g As the coaching course is not sport specific the students learn general coaching methods and can then specialise in sports of their choice.

Other students from the course have been accepted on scholarships at universities in the USA and four are working with Newcastle United Football Club fs community coaching scheme.

To find out more about courses at Gateshead College call 0191 490 2246,or visit www.gateshead.ac.uk